Mucositis is an inflammation of mucous membranes. It typically manifests as an erythematous, burn-like lesion or as random, focal-to-diffuse, ulcerative lesions. Stomatitis is an inflammation of mucous membranes in the mouth. About 20 percent of people suffer from recurrent stomatitis in the form of mouth ulcers, mouth sores, canker sores (aphthous ulcers), denture sores, and sores from cuts or braces.
Stomatitis can occur with or without ulceration, and may be caused or intensified by pharmacological, particularly chemotherapeutic treatments, or by radiotherapy. Stomatitis can range from mild to severe; the patient with severe stomatitis is unable to take anything by mouth, contributing to dehydration and malnutrition.
Many women get oral aphthous ulceration at specific times of the menstrual cycle and some simultaneously get similar ulcers in the genital tract, in particular the vulva and vagina. This is sometimes very severe and can cause retention of urine and require strong painkillers and sedatives. The most severe form is called Behcet's syndrome.
Cancer treatment may have toxic effects on normal cells as well as cancer cells. The gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, is especially affected because cells in the GI tract are replaced continuously by the body. Mucositis in the mouth (e.g., stomatitis), is one of the most common oral problems occurring after chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Oral mucositis can contribute to oral infections, inability to taste normally, and pain arising from the resulting open sores that can develop.
Oral mucositis frequently also occurs in HIV patients, particularly when associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, in patients affected with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in debilitated elderly patients and in patients receiving BRM treatments like interleukin-2, TNF, interferons, lymphokine-activated lymphocytes and the like.